Well the speaker fairy left a couple of natural Sierras on my porch today.

My system (5.1) as of yesterday consisted of Paradigm Atoms all around with the matching Paradigm C-170 center and an SVS 25-31 PC+ (tuned to 20Hz - equalized with a BFD) driven by a Yamaha receiver.

Over the past 9 months or so, I've been poking around looking to see if I could find a replacement for the Atoms mains that would fit in (well enough) with the rest of the system for 5.1 movies and still provide a step up for 2.1 channel music listening without breaking the bank.

I was seriously considering the 340SEs and I even convinced a fellow Napervillian to let me into his house to listen to his. I found them to be too bright (or something) for my tastes. (This coming from a guy with Paradigms being driven by a Yammie!). Regardless, they just didn't work for me.

I also listened very briefly to some Monitor Audio Silver RS-6 (?) and Bronze B-4s, iirc. I found them a bit too harsh for my tastes. I also checked out the new Paradigm Monitor 7 speakers. They were way too harsh. And, I auditioned some PSB T-55s in my home for a long weekend. They sounded nice, but as a floorstander they were a bit too big for my room and they didn't provide enough of a sound upgrade to justify buying them. The bottom line for me at this point was that I found, for the money, the Atoms really worked for me and so I kind of put the upgrade idea on the shelf.

Then, these Sierras came out and I really liked what I read about them. I also really liked how they weren't announced until they were ready to be ordered. It reaffirmed my generally good feelings about Ascend as a company.

So, rather impulsively - for me anyway, I ordered a pair. I figured even if I decide to send them back, it'll only cost me about $2/day in shipping costs to trial them in my home.

The early exit polls are good. But, I haven't had a chance to do any real critical listening yet. Once I do, I'll bore you further with my thoughts.


Mitch